With a little help from my friends
by csi101
Summary: Set post Stalker - what happened after Brass arrived and after Crane's interrogation. I mean would they really leave Nick by himself? Really! Please review. Please
1. Chapter 1

A friend in need….

It had all happened so quickly. He had been at work - everything normal, working on a case - and then it had all gone…weird. Scary weird.

Nick had woken sore and bruised in a hospital bed. The last thing he remembered was going to a suspects house, commenting to Warrick on how good his cable TV service was, and next thing he's in pain and surrounded by beeping machines, Warrick and Sara by his bedside.

They had filled in most of the blanks while they waited for a final assessment from the doctor before he could be released. He was alone for only a couple of minutes and, in that short space of time, had been grabbed from behind by the suspect and thrown out of the second story window. Concussion, two cracked ribs, a sprained wrist and five stitches to the forehead. As the doctor had told him on discharge - he had luck on his side - it could have been a lot worse. Holly Gribbs was a testament to that.

Warrick and Sara had taken him home and gone back to the lab and he had only just walked in, taken another Vicodin for his pain and settled on the sofa when Grissom's strange little psychic man arrived, knocking on his front door and demanding to be let in. Ordinarily, Nick thought, that would have been extraordinary. On this night, however, that was the least of it. The next sequence of events happened in a blur, partially, Nick suspected, due to the pain medication already making him feel as if he were in a dream. He had let Mr Pearson in, had received the anxious phone call from Grissom and, within minutes had watched as the psychic had fallen through his ceiling, dead, followed by another man - dressed in Nick's clothes - who, apparently had been nesting in his ceiling. A bizarre one sided conversation followed as Nick tried to figure out what in the hell was going on without antagonising the man who was holding his own spare handgun. Then utter confusion.

He remembered vividly the man telling him "I just want you to remember my name." before the scuffle. Then the sounds of crashing as his front door was smashed in and yelling as Brass and 2 uniforms burst into his home and pulled him away from the stranger. Nigel Crane. Nigel had got his wish - Nick doubted he would forget that name again. Ever.

Now he was standing, shaking like a leaf and with his left arm still waving in the air clutching his gun which he had just wrestled off Nigel Crane, while Brass and the uni's subdued and handcuffed his uninvited guest.

They had dispatched with the aim of just stationing the two uniforms outside the entrance to Nicks home and, instead, heard the single gunshot as they had got to his door. Jim had been as scared as hell when he'd heard the shot, and more relieved than he could remember when he'd seen Nick alive.

Brass stood up straight and turned to make sure the kid was OK. He looked at him, concern evident, as he covered the distance between them quickly and reached out to place a steadying hand to the back of his neck. He couldn't tell if Nick was going to start crying or collapse - the boy was distraught. Jim smiled at him gently as he tried to make eye contact - to anchor him back.

"Its done." he said simply, "OK? It's done."

He heard Nick mumble out an " 'K." but could still feel the full bodied tremor rippling through him.

"Come on, kid. Let's get you sitting down, OK?" Jim kept a careful watch on his young colleague as he guided him away from where his boys were dragging Crane to his feet. Nick tried to watch, his addled brain focusing on the movement. Jim moved to position himself between Nick and the others, bringing his hand up to Nicks chin and turning his head back to face him.

"Its over, Nick. You don't need to look at him anymore, OK. Let's go take a seat over here." Taking hold of Nicks arm, he guided him over to the kitchen and sat him on a stool behind the counter, his back to the living room. Nick wrapped his arms across his chest protectively and sat looking at the floor, still visibly shaking. Jim sighed, walked out of the kitchen and did a quick sweep of the house, finally finding a blanket before returning and wrapping it tightly around Nicks shoulders.

He heard a very soft "Thanks." before pulling his cell out of his pocket and calling Grissom.

A brief conversation later, and Jim pressed the 'call end' button and turned his attention back to Nick. He had arranged with Gil to bring him back in to the lab - they would arrange a bed for him somewhere during the night. Grissom was busy liaising with Ecklie for his day shift to cover the necessary processing of Nick's home.

Brass looked back at him - his head had dropped down almost to his chest and, while the shaking had mostly subsided, the exhaustion had kicked in.

"Hey, kiddo, I'm going to pack you an overnight bag and take you into the lab so we can sort you out. Anything particular you need for the next few days?" Jim asked.

Nick dragged his head back up and looked around what used to be his living room. Maurice Pearsons' body remained in the middle of the rubble from his ceiling and there was dust and plaster coating everything. He still couldn't quite get his head around what had happened during the last hour. His eyes found the bottle of Vicodin on the counter and he pointed at them as he mumbled, "Drugs. 'S'all"

Brass' eyebrows flicked up and he smiled as he put the tablets into his jacket pocket and went through into Nicks bedroom to pack up some things for him. He threw some extra clothes, toiletries and the book which had been sitting on his bedside table into a backpack before he headed back out to the kitchen.

Nick was sitting with his head hung low and both hands covering his face.

"You OK?" Jim asked quietly. Nick scrubbed at his face with obvious exhaustion before dropping his arms back heavily to his sides. The barest of shrugs was the only response to the question.

Jim stood in front of him and put a hand to Nick's forehead, using his thumb to prize wide open first one eyelid then the other, doing a rudimentary check of his pupils. When he'd finished, he gave the younger man a gentle smile and moved his hand to the back of his head. Nick dragged his tired eyes up to meet the captains.

"You ready to go?" Jim asked quietly.

Nick nodded his head almost imperceptibly and pushed himself painfully to his feet.

He shuffled towards the door like an old man with Jim keeping a guiding hand on his shoulder.

They made it to Jim's car and Nick eased down into the passenger seat, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest to brace his ribs. Jim leant across him to fasten his seat belt before getting into the drivers seat and starting the engine. He cast a look across at Nick, who had closed his eyes again and lay his head against the cool glass of the car window. Jim doubted he would make it back to the lab without falling asleep.

Surprisingly, after several minutes of what Jim suspected was a power nap, Nick was awake and more alert than he'd been since Maurice Pearson and Nigel Crane had come crashing down through his ceiling.

They had barely made it through the entrance to the lab before they ran into Catherine. She had clearly been waiting for them to arrive. She made her way straight to Nick, an anxious frown on her face as her hands moved to the dressing on his forehead. She stood back a step and appraised him with a mothers concern before sighing audibly and pulling Nick into a quick embrace.

"Thank God you're alright." she muttered softly.

Nick thought better than to comment on her use of 'alright' at the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all the reviews - its much appreciated. It has been a while since I last posted a story so bear with me while I get back into the swing of writing again. As always, none of the CSI characters and the Stalker storyline etc does not belong to me - just embellishing what was already there in Season 2!_

**And where to now?….**

**Catherine pulled away from Nick and cast yet another appraising look over him, wanting to make sure he really was OK. She gripped his shoulders with her hands as she assessed him from head to foot, rubbing her hands briskly over his biceps when she had finished. **

"**Can I leave him with you?" Jim asked quietly, passing his overnight bag to Catherine as she nodded. "I'll catch up with you later on. I need to make sure Crane is being processed already - I want this guy in jail by morning."**

**Catherine squeezed Nick's shoulder gently before bringing her hand to rest against his back - she could barely resist taking her hands away from him out of relief and amazement that he alright.**

"**I'll take care of him." she said, giving Nick a small smile. "Come on, sweetie, I'll fix you a coffee and get you something to eat. Grissom wants to see you - he's arranging for us to watch the interview if you're fit enough." **

**Nick just nodded. He was suddenly tired again. Being back at work was exhausting but somehow comforting being back among familiar surroundings. **

**Jim gave Nick's shoulder a gently slap before he headed off down the corridor.**

**Catherine eased Nick forward with the hand on his back and they started towards the break room. They stopped momentarily part way down the corridor so that Catherine could deposit his overnight bag into her locker. And, finally, they walked into the staff break room. Warrick and Sara were waiting for him and hurried to their friend. Sara, like Catherine, had to see for herself that he was OK - running her gaze from top to toe, while Warrick settled for a gentle punch in the arm. He was relieved beyond words that his friend was alive and on his feet. **

**Nick was tiring fast and Warrick moved in to sling one of his arms around his shoulder in order to help him to the comfort of the sofa.**

"**I'm fine, man. Don'' need help." Nick protested wearily.**

**Warrick just smiled and tightened his grip."Yeah, Nick. You're a real cowboy." he said with a friendly laugh.**

**Lowering himself down, Nick grimaced as the pain in his cracked ribs kicked him in the sides. **

**Warrick frowned in concern.**

"**Put your feet up, man. You've earned a nap."**

**Nick scowled at him as Catherine passed him a hot cup of coffee. He accepted it gratefully. If he was going to stay awake much longer he needed the caffeine hit. **

**The door opened again and Grissom's head poked through. He scanned the team, settling on Nick, stretched out on the sofa. Ignoring the others, with an ability only Grissom could manage, he headed to Nick's side and stared at him with an intensity that made Nick acutely uncomfortable. Grissom, like Catherine and Sara, dragged his gaze up and down Nick's body, taking in injuries, although with Grissom, he examined him like he was a living crime scene. Crouching down to Nick's eye level he mirrored Jim's assessment at the scene, resting a hand on his forehead and checking his pupils, moving his hand to the plaster on his temple and gently probing it. Nick flinched and shot Catherine a nervous look. She smiled back at him and raised her eyebrows. **

**Grissom finally rested back on his heels and looked Nick square in the eyes. **

"**Are you alright?" he asked bluntly.**

**Nick shrugged with a wince and nodded. **

**Warrick snorted loudly.**

"**Yeah, he's fine." he commented dryly. "Sorry, bro, but you look as 'fine' as some of Doc Robbins' house guests in the morgue!"**

**Grissom shot Warrick a peeved look. **

"**Warrick, Sara, can you start the preliminary write up please. I want to have everything from our initial investigation put together so Ecklie and his team can concentrate on processing the scene. I'll call you when they're ready to interview Crane. Catherine and I will bring Nick over if he's up to it."**

**Nick held the half drunk cup of coffee in between both his hands, using the heat of the mug to warm his fingers. He was fighting a losing battle to keep his eyes open - a combination of the events of the last few hours and the pain medication were catching up with him. **

**Warrick and Sara reluctantly headed out to start working and Catherine ducked out briefly to get a blanket from the locker room before returning and draping it over Nick's prone form. She took the mug from his hands before it's contents spilled - as the closer Nick got to sleep, the greater the lean of the mug.**

**Grissom hit the main light and he and Catherine sat at the table, bathed only in the light of the outside corridor. **

"**What are we going to do with him?" asked Grissom quietly. "He's going to need somewhere to stay in the short term - at least until his house is cleaned up and repaired."**

**Catherine nodded.**

"**He can stay with me but I won't have a spare room for a few days - my sister and her kids are staying until Wednesday - but after that he can move in." she said. **

**Grissom sighed and glanced over at Nick's sleeping form. **

**He pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. **

"**Well, I guess he could stay with me until then." he said reluctantly. Grissom was not good with house guests as a general rule. He found it difficult having people stay in his home. He had to be 'sociable' at work but once he was home he could enjoy his own space. But then he thought back to something which Catherine had said to him recently - about how his team had built their family around him. How, like it or not, Grissom was the 'father' to his younger colleagues. His attention turned back to Nick as he heard him move around in his sleep and moan subconsciously as his ribs tweaked again.**

**He dropped his gaze down to the table briefly before looking back up to meet Catherine's eyes.**

"**OK." he said, "he'll stay with me until Wednesday and then he can go to you."**

**Catherine smiled. **

"**It's a deal." she said**

**_Thanks for reading chapter 2 - now, please, if you can spare a second or two, then please hit the review button and add a comment. Please._ **


	3. Chapter 3

Facing the demons…

It was over an hour before Grissom received the call from Brass that Crane was ready to be interviewed. They would wait until the team arrived before they started.

Catherine woke Nick and made him another cup of coffee to shake the remnants of sleep from his system before sitting down on the sofa next to him and resting a hand on his leg.

"Are you sure you're OK to go through this?" she asked softly.

Nick rubbed a tired hand over his face and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm 'K, Cath."

Catherine looked at him a moment longer, concern still evident in her eyes.

"Well, you take it easy, Nicky. Don't push yourself too hard, OK?" she said quietly.

Nick ducked his head and nodded. God, he still felt like he needed about a week of solid sleep.

Catherine sat with him in comfortable silence while he finished his coffee. As he finished the last couple of mouthfuls, Grissom reappeared.

"Ready?" he asked as Catherine took the mug from Nicks hands and offered a hand to help pull him to his feet.

"Yeah," replied Nick, "let's get this over with."

"You don't have to do this, Nick. If you want to wait for us here, that's OK." said Catherine - offering him one last chance to back out. But Nick shook his head stubbornly.

"Nah, I'm OK, Cath. Really. Let's go."

The trio arrived at the station to watch Nigel Crane being interviewed and found Warrick and Sara already waiting for them with Jim Brass. Jim gave Nick a small smile and pulled him up a seat in the interview viewing room.

"Take a seat, kid, before you fall down."

Nick frowned slightly but accepted the seat with a mumbled 'thanks'.

"Now," continued Jim, turning his attention to Grissom and Catherine, "we've got him on two counts of murder, two of stalking, one on break and entering, as well as assault, threatening an officer of the law, and we're gunning for attempted murder as well. This son of a bitch won't be seeing the outside world again if I have anything to do with it."

Nick watched as Nigel was interrogated. He listened in silence as the strange little man admitted to murdering Jane Galloway and to his bizarre reasoning for it. He listened, also, to the confession of murder of Maurice Pearson and, again, to the argument that the psychic had been 'snooping' around.

The interview was finished quickly when Crane started to become completely irrational and then suddenly went quiet, muttering over and over 'I am one and who am I'.

It gave Nick the creeps.

They had got what they wanted - confessions to the murders, yet Nick still had not heard the answer to his burning question - 'why him'.

He verbalised it without even realising.

There was silence for a moment then Grissom's calm and quiet voice.

"I don't think this was about you, Nick. I think it was about Maslow's heirachy of needs."

Nick cocked his head a little to the side listening without turning.

Grissom went on to explain the concept of Maslow's theory and how Nigel had been trying to 'become' Nick, with the only option left being to kill Nick or to be killed.

Nick couldn't take his eyes of the madman in front of him, muttering his crazy mantra over and over and over again.

"Twenty five years to life, Nick. It's over." Sara said.

If only it was that simple.

"It's not over for me." Nick said simply, "It's over for Jane Galloway."

The rest of the team sat in silence. There was nothing they could say to counter that. Nick was right.

Catherine sighed and checked her watch.

"We'd better get back to the lab." she said, "Ecklie's shift will be starting soon. We'd better hand over the case."

The others nodded and pushed to their feet as Catherine went to Nick's side and lay a gentle hand against his arm. She gave him a tight, concerned smile before leaving, the others close on her heels.

Nick stood alone and watched as the officers in the next room led Crane out and back to his cell.

He dropped his head for a moment and turned around.

They had all gone.

He was alone.

A kick of fear stabbed at him, his breathing and pulse rate increasing subconsciously.

What the hell was he going to do now, he thought. He couldn't go home. He couldn't really afford a single hotel room anywhere decent - certainly not for the amount of time he would need it for. He could book a flight back to Texas, he thought dully. Maybe that was the best option. He supposed he could ask Warrick…

Nah, he didn't want to have to invite himself anywhere.

He would go home to Texas.

He leant up against the back wall of the room and slowly slid down it until he was sitting on the floor and drew his knees up as a brace for his elbows. He laced his fingers together and rested his arms across his knees.

He would wait here until morning and book a flight to Dallas.

Crap!!He'd forgotten. His Mom and Dad were away for a couple of weeks visiting his sister in Maine. He could still go back and stay with one of his other siblings but the thought of all his nieces and nephews screaming and running around with boundless energy exhausted him.

He sighed deeply and brought one arm up to support his head. He was starting to hurt again. His ribs throbbed and his head was starting a matching rhythm. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the coolness of the wall seeping through his shirt.

He felt like hell.


	4. Chapter 4

_**OK - its my birthday today so I'll put up 2 chapters instead of 1! **_

_**I am taking the great liberty of adding create licence to Grissom's character with this. I can't really see him ever being like this on the show but I felt he had it in him to be a bit of a wimp with Catherine. **_

Stepping up….

Grissom and Catherine were half way back to the lab when Catherine glanced over to him.

"Did you tell Nick what's going on?" she asked.

Grissom shrugged.

"What's going on?" he asked, confused.

Catherine stopped and swung around to look at him in amazement.

"Gil! Did you let him know he can stay with you? Did you arrange to pick him up when we're finished with Ecklie?"Grissom looked uncomfortable.

"Don't tell me he's just sitting there. Alone. Gil! Go back and get him! He can wait in your office until we're done."

Catherine was ropeable. Grissom amazed her constantly with his complete ignorance of 'normal' people's needs. She knew he didn't do it out of malice, but still!

Grissom knew better than to argue with Catherine.

People often compared them to a long married couple. They were the epitome of a good team. Grissom, the thinker - the one who could strategise and use logic to work through a problem without emotions clouding his judgement; and Catherine, the doer - a firebrand dynamo who approached her work with the same vigour and passion as she displayed in her 'real' life. She was the Mom to the group - the one to comfort and to support but no push over - she could be fiercely protective of her team-mates but was not beyond giving them a dressing down when necessary. Grissom was the Dad - a strict and somewhat standoffish mentor who's mission was to teach and guide his younger colleagues, not to get side tracked by personality differences and emotions. The two of them gelled. They were yin and yang. Catherine respected Grissom immensely without being awestruck by his brilliance. Grissom knew he could not do the job of supervisor without Catherine by his side - he relied on her to guide him through the often confusing world of dealing with people. But he could also be intimidated by her forcefulness at times. And this was one of those times.

He looked like a schoolboy - about to be disciplined by a stern teacher. In hindsight, he realised that they shouldn't have left Nick in the room by himself. That he hadn't had time to tell him about their plans to take care of him for the next few days. But he genuinely hadn't thought of it. But, to be fair, Catherine hadn't spoken to Nick about it either. Not that he was going to argue about it. Not while Catherine was aggrieved to the point of almost glowing with anger.

She stood facing him, hands on hips before pointing sharply back to the station.

"Go!" she barked.

Grissom winced and slunk back the way he came.

He reached the interview viewing room and opened the door.

No sign of Nick.

He frowned and was about to close the door again when he saw his young colleagues reflection in the window looking through to the interview room. He was sitting on the floor, eyes closed, with one hand propping up his head and the other tucked tightly against his ribs.

Grissom sighed and entered the room, moving in front of Nick and crouching down to his level. Still Nick's eyes remained closed. His breathing was slow and regular and, while Grissom doubted he was in a deep sleep, he was clearly dozing.

Grissom reached out and lay a hand against Nick's shoulder, squeezing gently to rouse the young man without frightening him.

Nick's eyes snapped open at once and he moved as if to leap to his feet with a sharp intake of breath, which caused a kick of pain to his injured ribs and he ended up bracing his chest even tighter as he squeezed his eyes shut tight again and moaned in pain.

Grissom kept his hand on Nick's shoulder until his breathing settled into pain filled huffs and his eyes reopened.

"Sorry." Grissom offered lamely before pushing himself back onto his feet slowly. He was getting too old to crouch, he decided.

He offered a hand down to Nick, who accepted it and pulled himself awkwardly to his feet, grimacing again as the pain flared.

Grissom eyed him with concern.

"Are you OK?" he asked, keeping a steadying arm on his shoulder.

Nick gave a small nod.

"Come on." said Grissom. "You're coming home with me once I've handed the case off to Ecklie."

He noted the nervous glance he received and decided to ignore it.

"When are you due for more pain relief?" he asked.

Nick gave a slight shrug and checked his watch.

"About now." he mumbled.

Grissom nodded. The conversation was awkward. He did not expect that it would get much easier once they were at his apartment either. He had never really spent any time with Nick other than when they were partnered together on a case. He had no idea what Nick's interests were. He had no idea what they were going to talk about for three days.

They walked in silence the rest of the way back to the lab with Grissom trying to make a mental library of 3 days worth of discussion points, and Nick silently trying to contain his panic at the thought of living with his boss for the next few days.

They got back to the lab and Nick went to wait for Grissom in his office while Grissom and Catherine headed off to hand over.

He sat down and dropped his head into his hands.

This was going to be a long 72 hours.

_**Thankyou to everyone who has taken the time to review the chapters - its very much appreciated. **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**As promised…two chapters in one day! Can you tell I'm on holidays?! Please take a second and review after reading. Many thanks in advance.**_

_Uncomfortable comfort…._

Grissom's apartment was only 10 minutes from the lab, but the car ride there was interminably long, punctuated by awkward silences and generalised yes/no questions.

Finally, they pulled into Grissom's driveway and both climbed the stairs to his home in silence. Grissom unlocked the door and tossed his keys onto a side table. Nick stood self-consciously just inside the doorway and looked around cautiously. The only other time that Nick had been to Grissom's home was with the rest of the team - when Grissom had been suspended and the entire grave shift had arrived at his place to work on catching the 'strip strangler', Syd Goggle.

Grissom gave him an awkward smile and brought his arms up as if to show him his surroundings.

"Make yourself at home." he said casually. "The spare room is the first door on the left and the bathroom is right next door."

Nick gave a quick nod and ducked his head.

"Thanks." he mumbled.

The two men stood in silence a moment longer before Grissom shrugged and found his manners.

"Take a seat, Nick, and I'll fix you some breakfast."

Nick started shaking his head before Grissom had even finished talking.

"Nah, Grissom, it's fine. Not real hungry anyhow."

Grissom swallowed his awkwardness and moved to relieve Nick of his overnight bag.

"Sit down, Nick. I know you're feeling uncomfortable about being here and, frankly, I'm feeling much the same way. But let's just try and relax and co-habit for a few days, OK?"

Nick gave a tired smile and a shrug." 'K" he replied.

"Right." said Grissom. "I'll fix us some breakfast. You shouldn't have those pain tablets on an empty stomach. Then you'd better get some rest. You must be getting pretty tired."

Nick nodded and snorted a laugh.

"Yeah, that's an understatement."

After a cooked breakfast and more pain medication, Nick and Grissom retreated to their respective rooms. The breakfast had been relaxed and conversation had flowed relatively freely, however, by the last mouthful, most of Grissom's mental library of discussion topics had been used up and Nick was tiring fast.

He headed to his makeshift bedroom and closed the door. He scanned the room, taking in the decorations. Bugs mainly - framed drawings of bug skeletons, water-coloured paintings of butterflies, and framed specimens of both displayed on the walls and on the dresser.

He sighed as he got into bed and pulled up the covers.

He couldn't quite get his head around everything that had happened over the last 24 hours. Yesterday morning his life had been normal - he had left his home and gone to work as normal. This morning, however, he was recovering after almost being killed, his home was the scene of a homicide and here he was, in his boxer shorts, surrounded by bug carcasses, preparing to go to sleep in the spare room of his bosses house.

Life was sure unpredictable some times.

He closed his eyes and was asleep almost instantaneously.

Grissom climbed into bed and took a book from his bedside table. He had taken to re-reading Dickens recently and was midway through Oliver Twist, which he had already read several times. It had been his favourite novel as a child. His own father had died when he was nine and his mother's progressive hearing loss combined with his social awkwardness had meant he had few close friends. He found he could relate to Oliver Twists' isolation and would often find that his fertile imagination could transport him to Victorian England and away from the challenges he faced in late 1960's Los Angeles.

He managed several pages before succumbing to tiredness and, reluctantly, closed the book.

He woke only a couple of hours later to the sounds of a muted voice coming from the spare room. He could hear the dull drone of a voice punctuated every now and then by muffled calling out.

He lay in bed listening for several minutes before scrubbing his hands over his face and swinging his legs over the side. He yawned and pushed himself upright, stretching before padding out towards the kitchen.

The voice became clearer as he passed by the spare room and he paused with a hand on the door, warring with himself whether to go and wake his young colleague or to ignore it.

He chose the latter and continued on to the kitchen, boiling the kettle and making himself a herbal tea.

He took a sip and frowned as the calling out started again.

He made his way back to the spare room and quietly opened the door.

Nick was sprawled on the bed, sheets and quilt tangled about him. He was mumbling in his sleep and tossing his arms about as if uncomfortable.

Grissom stood in the doorway and chewed his bottom lip. He really felt uncomfortable dealing with others. He didn't want to wake him up - that would involve awkwardness. Yet he felt a stab of guilt at leaving him to his nightmares. Nick would have been much better off staying with Catherine, he thought dully. She would have been able to provide much more comfort than he ever could.

As if by the power of thought, Nick mumbled once more, took a deep breath in and out and settled back into a deep sleep.

Grissom raised his eyebrows in surprise and headed back to his own room.

Another couple of hours sleep, he thought, and he would be ready to face another night.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks again for the great reviews - as always, very much appreciated. And also, as always, I don't really know where I'm heading with this story - I'm not a very good planner - so please bear with me as it lumbers along. **_

_A new day….._

Grissom got his wish. It was nearly 4 hours later when he finally woke, feeling refreshed and ready to face another day.

He had a quick shower in his ensuite and headed out to the kitchen for another cup of herbal tea. He listened at the door of the spare room momentarily as he passed.

Silence.

He gave a satisfied smile and went to the front door to pick up his daily mail after flicking on the kettle to boil. Bills mainly plus the latest edition of 'Entomology' journal.

He smiled again, made himself his mug of tea and settled on the sofa with his new magazine.

Shortly afterwards, he heard the spare room's door open and Nick appeared, combing some order into his hair and scrubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Mornin' " he mumbled as he stumbled to the kitchen and re-boiled the kettle.

Grissom raised his eyebrows in amusement. Nick was clearly not a 'morning person' - despite it being mid afternoon.

"Sleep well?" asked Grissom

Nick shrugged with a wince.

"Pretty good. Where's your coffee?"

Grissom closed the journal and went into the kitchen, taking a fresh jar of coffee from a cupboard and passed it to him.

"Thanks" he replied, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand.

Grissom watched Nick as he made himself a coffee. He still moved as if his whole body was tender and a large bruise along his forehead was starting to colour deep purple. He kept one arm firmly braced against his ribs while he poured the hot water into the mug.

Nick took his drink and turned around slowly, finally noticing Grissom's gaze. He shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing stare.

"You look like hell, Nick. Are you sure your OK?" Grissom asked.

Nick gave a humourless snort and winced again as it pulled at his cracked ribs.

"Nah, I'm alright. Just hurtin' today."

Grissom looked at him a moment longer before busying himself by opening the refrigerator and looking inside.

"What do you feel like for dinner?" he asked, "I can make us a risotto, or maybe some pasta…"

Nick had the feeling his boss was talking to himself more than to him.

"Griss, I'm fine. Really. You don't have to cook for me. I can order in a pizza or something' " muttered Nick.

Grissom shook his head and shot Nick a raised eyebrow look.

"You should have something a bit more substantial than pizza, Nick. When was the last time you had a decent meal?"

Nick looked a little embarrassed - he was used to being lectured about his diet by his mother but certainly not by his boss - and he certainly was usually pretty good with his diet.

"Grissom, you don't have to baby me - I can look after myself." he said quietly but firmly.

Grissom stopped fossicking in the refrigerator and straightened up, looking at Nick straight in the eye.

Nick shuffled a little in discomfort but maintained the eye contact.

After an awkward moment of silence, Grissom gave a small nod.

"Nick, no-one is trying to baby you.."

But he was cut off mid sentence by Nick holding up his hands to silence him, before he turned and headed back into the spare room.

Grissom, confused by the sudden change in his young colleagues demeanour, heard the door close firmly but did not follow. It was obvious that a sensitive nerve had been hit and Grissom deemed it safer to let him cool off before talking to him again. Instead he busied himself with preparing a nutritious dinner for them both.

There was still no sight or sound of Nick when it was ready, so Grissom instead covered it and made it ready to reheat in the microwave when there was a little less tension in the house.

It was quite some time later when Grissom heard the bedroom door open again. Nick looked contrite as he re-entered the living room and moved to take a seat across from Grissom. He bowed his head and couldn't look at Grissom.

"Sorry." he murmured. " Was outta line."

Grissom watched carefully for a moment before giving a short nod - an unspoken acceptance of the apology.

"We don't intend to make you feel inadequate, Nick." he said. "We really are just trying to help."

Nick dragged a hand up to scrub at his face wearily. "Yeah, I know." he said, then, looking up at last he added, "And I do appreciate it, Griss. Really.

Grissom continued to watch him.

"But?…" he pushed.

Nick shrugged a little and moved uncomfortably in his chair.

"But," he started, "well…Its just…."There was another silence as Nick fought to find the right words to explain - without sounding whiney.

Grissom continue to listen in silence.

"It's just…." he looked up at Grissom and caught his eyes, "I'm the youngest in my family." he finished, lamely.

Grissom fought the urge to smile but instead kept eye contact, suddenly seeing the deep vulnerability in the Texan.

Nick continued on.

"I have five older sisters, Grissom, and an older brother. My whole life I've been the youngest in the family, y'know? All my life I've been 'the baby'."

Grissom nodded in sympathy. He had no idea what it was like to have had competition from siblings, but all of a sudden it was starting to make sense why Nick had taken offence to being taken care of.

Nick continued as if flood gates were suddenly opened.

"I mean, I love my family, Grissom, don't get me wrong, but….I just get so sick of always being the youngest, y'know. My brother and sisters would tease me growing up just cos I was the youngest. My Mom and Dad were more protective of me than the others because I was 'their baby'. I wasn't allowed to do half the things my brother did 'cos I was 'the baby'. I had to move out of Texas, Grissom, just to get away from it. I love my family, Griss - and I miss them - but I'm an adult now, y'know, I just don't wanna have to depend on anyone to 'look after me' anymore."

He finished by dropping his head again - as if in embarrassment at his confession.

"Sorry, Griss." he said softly, "I really do appreciate you letting' me stay and everythin' "


	7. Chapter 7

_Only a short chapter this time, I'm afraid. The two chapters in a day wiped me out of ideas!_

_**Opening up….again…..**_

**Grissom listened while Nick unloaded his feelings of youngest child resentment. He couldn't really relate at all - having been an only child and, even when he had started working alongside local police as a teenager, he had never been teased by them or belittled. They had always only treated him as an eager student. **

**He looked at Nick who had become quiet.**

"**It must have tough sometimes, having so many siblings." he said quietly. **

**Nick shrugged.**

"**It had it's moments." he replied. "But it was never boring."**

**Grissom smiled. **

"**You're an only child, right?" Nick asked**

**Grissom nodded and sat back in his chair. **

"**Yes," he said, "just me and my Mom."**

**He paused for a moment before continuing.**

"**My Dad died when I was nine."**

**He hadn't told any of his colleagues about his father's death before. It surprised him that he was talking about it now - with Nick, of people.**

**Nick looked up in surprise before dropping his head back down.**

"**It was a Summer's day and he had been teaching. He came home and lay on the sofa and never woke up. I remember every detail about that moment. Trying to wake him up. My Mom….."**

**He became quiet for several moments. Nick sat in silence, head bowed, listening. Finally, Grissom started talking again.**

"**Nobody would talk to me about my Dad's death. I wasn't even allowed to go to his funeral. From then on it was just my Mom and me. I always wanted brothers and sisters. Particularly after Dad died. My Mom was deaf and, suddenly, my world became very quiet. My Dad would always talk to me, read to me, teach me. That all stopped. I really would have loved to have had siblings." he said, the last few words so quiet it was as if he was talking to himself. **

**Nick nodded but didn't look up. **

"**Sorry." he murmured softly. **

**Grissom shrugged with his eyebrows. **

"**That's life, Nick. We have these challenges to help round who we are. You're independent, social, confident - all developed because of your upbringing and your place in your family. I'm reserved, studious and introverted because of my experiences. Society wouldn't function if we were all the same. Our upbringing helps define us, how we relate to others, how we cope with life in general. I know you're a little anxious about accepting our help, and it encroaches on your independence, but a wise woman once told me that our team is a family in its own right. We look out for each other and we take care of each other." he said, then added with a gentle smile, "You can't escape from families, Nick."**

**Nick chuckled softly. **

"**But that's not a bad thing." he conceded. "I really do appreciate my family, Grissom - both of them."**

**Grissom nodded.**

"**I know you do." he said as he pushed himself up from the chair, then added, "So do I. Now come and have some dinner - I've got to go to work."**

**Nick smiled and pushed himself up as well, wincing at the bite to his ribs. Then frowning he asked, "That wise woman was Catherine, right?"**


	8. Chapter 8

_**In this chapter I've tried to show the different styles of comfort between Grissom and Catherine - hands-off versus maternal. Please review - I appreciate and accept all comments : ) **_

_Moving on….._

The following two days disappeared quickly. Grissom was at work during the night and sleeping during the day, while Nick got his body readjusted to sleeping at night and enjoying the daylight hours. He was kept busy filing reports with the police and insurance agencies for the damage caused to his house, and had to give a statement to Jim Brass as well.

The limited amount of time both Nick and Grissom spent at home together was spent with general conversation. Grissom found he enjoyed this new relationship with his young colleague. Their conversations had expanded significantly what he had known about Nick's life before Las Vegas CSI. He had found out about Nick's over performing siblings - including his lawyer brother who, Grissom suspected, was a constant source of rivalry. He had an idea of what a noisy, boisterous household the Stokes family must have had with the whole seven children living at home. He got a deeper understanding of what life must have been like for a curious child with a DA, and later a Supreme Court Judge, as a father and a prominent lawyer as a mother. And he found he had a new appreciation for being an only child, although, he conceded, brothers and sisters would have been fun at times.

Mostly he was amazed that Nick had become a crime scene investigator and had not followed the rest of the family into law - it showed courage to follow his dreams and not the dreams of his family.

Finally, Wednesday arrived and Nick re-packed his overnight bag. He bid farewell to his temporary bedroom, took a last look at the framed bugs and butterflies and went to wait for Catherine to arrive.

The latest estimates were that he would be homeless for at least another week. He would be off work as well for about the same amount of time.

He sat with Grissom in the living area and chatted about work. There was an easiness about their relationship which had not been clear 72 hours beforehand. It was amazing, thought Grissom, how just the simple act of talking could alter a relationship so much in such a short amount of time. He found he was genuinely sorry to see his house guest leave and thought about how quiet the house would be without him.

The doorbell rang and both men got to their feet. Nick grabbed his overnight bag and reached out a hand to Grissom who smiled warmly and shook it.

"Thanks for everything, Grissom." he said.

Grissom broke the contact and rested a hand against Nick's shoulder as he guided him to the door.

"You're welcome, Nick. Anytime." said Grissom as he opened the door to reveal a smiling Catherine.

"Hello, boys." she said.

Nick nodded and turned to Grissom once more.

"I'll drop into work sometime this week to work out when I can start back."

Grissom nodded.

"No rush, Nick. Make sure you take care of yourself."

Catherine smiled at them both and reached out to squeeze Nick's arm gently.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

Nick nodded and gave Grissom a smile.

"Thanks again, Griss." Nick said.

Grissom just nodded.

Nick walked into Catherine's home and made himself comfortable in the spare room. Lindsey had been packed off to her grandmother's for a week so the house was very quiet.

"So?" said Catherine, teasing him, "How were things at 'Camp Grissom'?"

Nick smiled and shrugged.

"It was good." he said simply.

Catherine smiled.

"You boys got on alright?" she continued.

"Yeah, we got on fine."

"Good." she said.

Nick shrugged a little again.

"Good." he mirrored.

As comfortable as Nick was around Catherine, he did not want to discuss his and Grissom's conversations with anyone. They would remain private. Fortunately, Catherine moved rapidly into another conversation and Nick smiled again. She never failed to surprise him with her energy and sociability - poles apart from Grissom.

They had a quiet day together. Catherine didn't have to go in to work so took Nick shopping instead to restock some essentials.

It had only been three days since Nick had been thrown through Nigel Crane's window and he was still suffering with aching ribs, a tender wrist and continued to tire easily.

Catherine prepared an early evening dinner and Nick retired to bed early, falling asleep part way through a cable movie while tucked up under the covers.

Catherine was woken in the early hours of the morning by soft calling out from the spare room. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and pushed herself out of bed, padding down the corridor.

The mumbling and calling out became clearer the nearer to the spare room she got.

She opened the door quietly and watched Nick tangling himself even further in the bedding as he fought through his nightmares.

Moving to sit on the side of the bed, she gently shook his shoulder.

He woke suddenly, battling to sit upright and to catch his breath. His body shook as Catherine wrapped protective arms around him and held him tight, whispering quiet words of comfort to him until he settled.

Nick dragged his knees up to use them as a brace for his elbows and he brought both hands up to cover his face, scrubbing it as if to erase the memories of the awful dream.

Catherine rubbed his back gently before pushing up from the bed.

"I'll make us a cocoa, Nicky. It'll help you get back to sleep."

Nick just nodded, hands still covering his face.

Catherine looked at him a moment more, concern and tiredness clearly visible, before heading out into the kitchen to microwave some milk.

The microwave was still counting down when she heard footsteps. Nick appeared looking terrible. He was clearly exhausted, his short hair was tousled and the dark circles under his eyes and light stubble on his face stood out vividly from the pasty white of his skin.

The microwave beeped as he appeared and Catherine stirred the hot milk into the mug of cocoa, handing him the steaming mug and watching as he wrapped both hands around it - enjoying the heat that warmed his hands.

"How you doin', Nicky?" she asked softly.

"Crap." he replied, turning and walking into the living room, dropping heavily down into one of the chairs.

Catherine followed him, clutching her own mug.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Nick shook his head.

"OK." she said gently. "I'm here if you want to."

Nick dropped his head back against the chair and closed his eyes.

"God, I'm tired." he mumbled under his breath.

Catherine watched him a moment more.

"Finish your drink and go back to bed, Nicky." she said. "You look exhausted."

"I think maybe I'm cursed, Cath." he said quietly.

Catherine frowned at him.

"You're not cursed, Sweetie. You're just….unlucky at times." Catherine offered.

Nick snorted humourlessly and brought his head up to look incredulously at her.

Catherine shrugged with a wry smile and moved to kneel in front of her young colleague.

"You're a good man, Nicky. You're sweet and kind and strong and you have a lot of friends who care a lot about you. You have a family who adore you. You have a job that you love and that is challenging and stimulating." she said. "You're luckier than many others."

Nick listened and dropped his head. She was right and he knew it. He had seen men his age time and time again on Doc Robbins' slab, no family to claim them, no friends to care if they were missing. Catherine was right, he was luckier than a lot of others.

He sat a moment more before downing the remains of his drink and pushing himself to his feet. Catherine followed suit and stood as well.

Nick reached out and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Cath." he murmured. "For everything."

"No problem, Nicky." she replied quietly as she took the empty mug from him, "Now go, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."


	9. Chapter 9

_Please take a minute to review. This is the final chapter and would love to hear your thought about it. Please._

_**A new beginning….**_

**Catherine heard Nick a couple of times more during the night, but he settled quickly and she was able to get some broken sleep. She always struggled to get a full night's sleep anyway on her first night off work. **

**She woke just before 8am and checked on Nick before heading for a shower. He was still asleep as she fixed breakfast and she let him be - guessing that he would benefit more from a prolonged rest rather than food. **

**It was after 10, when he finally surfaced. He dragged himself from bed feeling as if he could hardly carry his own weight. He padded down the corridor and into the kitchen to make himself a strong cup of coffee. Catherine was sitting in the living room reading a novel. **

"**Morning, handsome." she called to him, receiving a scowl in return. **

**He poured himself a mug of coffee and yawned his way into the living room, scratching his free hand through his short hair. **

**Catherine smiled at him.**

"**You're really not a morning person, are you?" she muttered under her breath. **

**Nick dropped heavily into a chair and gave another enormous yawn. **

"**So," said Catherine, putting aside her novel, "What are your plans for today?" **

**Nick moved in his chair and shrugged before looking over at Catherine.**

"**Thought I might go house huntin' " he replied. **

**Catherine met his gaze with surprise.**

"**I don't really think I'm gonna be comfortable living back home…not after what's happened, y'know." he said.**

**Catherine nodded.**

"**You know you're welcome to stay here as long as you need, right?" she said.**

"**Yeah, I know. Thanks Cath." he said.**

"**Well, do you want some company to look at places?" she offered.**

**Nick nodded.**

"**Yeah." he said, "Yeah, that would be good."**

**The rest of the day was spent at real estate agents and looking through crummy rental properties. There were a small handful of possibilities and Nick found he was extremely grateful to have Catherine's advice and guidance in the decision making. **

**By evening, Nick was tired but happier than he had been in days. There was one place in particular that he thought had definite promise and he'd put in a request for tenancy and, in doing so, it had felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. **

**Catherine fixed them a delicious dinner and the two settled in comfortable silence to watch a movie.**

**Nick was in luck. He was accepted as a tenant for his preferred bungalow. The owners were keen to find an occupant as soon as possible while they relocated interstate so were more than happy that Nick could move in quickly. Despite this, he made the most of Catherine's hospitality and stayed, at her request, for the entire week. She was determined to make sure that he was fit and healthy before she let him go and, particularly, that he was in control of the troublesome nightmares. They too, however, settled after a few nights and, by the end of the week, despite the faint outlines of the bruises that remained on his forehead and the brace on his wrist, he appeared as good as new. **

**In fact, the only time he became emotional about his experience was when his Mom called from Maine and he had told her about what had happened. She had, obviously, been deeply worried and had insisted on travelling to Las Vegas to be with her youngest son and could not be deterred, even with Nick's strong protestations. Catherine had tried to give him some privacy while he talked on the phone, but could still hear his quiet voice, choked with emotion, as she cleaned away the evenings dishes. **

**It had been a little awkward when his mother had insisted on speaking to Catherine - to thank her for taking care of him and to grill her on his actual wellbeing. Nick handed the phone over with an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders. He never could argue with his Mom. **

**Catherine spoke at length with Jillian Stokes and finally handed the phone back to Nick to finish the conversation. She smiled at him when he finally hung up and sat heavily down on the sofa. **

"**So, your Mom's coming?" Catherine asked innocently.**

**Nick nodded and smiled. He was actually pretty happy that his Mom hadn't listened to him. He was looking forward to seeing her again and to give her a hug. And to be hugged - in only a way a Mom can. **

"**Yeah," he replied, "She's going to come and stay in the new place for a week or so." **

"**Good." said Catherine**

**Nick smiled back at her and nodded.**

"**Good." he replied.**

**And it was. He really was a lucky man. He had two families looking out for him. **

**And he couldn't ask for more than that. **

**The End**


End file.
